Borehole inspecting and testing device and method of using the same

ABSTRACT

A borehole inspection device and method of using the same to measure the condition of the bottom extent of a borehole, the system having a head unit assembly with top and bottom sides and including at least one downwardly extending force sensor configured to measure a reaction force applied to the at least one sensor as it engages a bottom extent of the borehole, the inspection device being configured to be lowered into a borehole and to bring the sensor(s) into contact with the bottom extent wherein continued downward movement of the head unit creates the reaction force on the sensor(s) to determine at least one of a location of an associated debris layer, a bearing capacity of the associated debris layer, the thickness of the associated debris layer, the location of an associated bearing layer and/or the bearing capacity of the associated bearing layer.

This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No.16/407,962 that was filed on May 9, 2019, which is a continuation ofpatent application Ser. No. 15/233,317 that was filed on Aug. 10, 2016,which claims priority in Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/205,335, filed on Aug. 14, 2015. In addition, patent application Ser.No. 15/233,317 is a Continuation-in-Part application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/560,879 that was filed on Dec. 4, 2014, whichclaims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/912,206 thatwas filed on Dec. 5, 2013. All of these prior filings are incorporatedby reference herein.

The invention of this application relates to a borehole measuringdevice. More particularly, the invention of this application relates toa measuring device that can be deployed in a borehole to inspect theborehole, in particular, to inspect the shaft bottom and/or side wallsof the borehole and provide fast and reliable information about thequality and bearing capacity of the soils in the borehole.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

McVay et al. —U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,502 discloses a wireless apparatus andmethod for analysis of piles which is incorporated by reference hereinfor showing the same. In addition, Mullins et al. —U.S. Pat. No.6,783,273 discloses a method for testing integrity of concrete shaftswhich is also incorporated by reference in this application for showingthe same. Piscsalko et al. —U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,551 discloses a remotepile driving analyzer and is incorporated by reference in thisapplication for showing the same. Likins Jr. et al. —U.S. Pat. No.5,978,749 discloses a pile installation recording system and isincorporated by reference in this application for showing the same.Piscsalko et al. —U.S. Pat. No. 8,382,369 discloses a pile sensingdevice and method of using the same and is incorporated by reference inthis application for showing the same. Dalton et al. —Publ. No.2012/0203462 discloses a pile installation and monitoring system andmethod of using the same and is incorporated by reference in thisapplication for showing the same.

Ding—U.S. Pat. No. 8,151,658 discloses an inspection device for theinspection of an interior bottom of a borehole which is incorporated byreference herein for showing the same. Tawfiq et al. U.S. Pat. No.7,187,784 discloses a borescope for drilled shaft inspection and isincorporated by reference herein for showing the same. In addition,Tawfiq et al. U.S. Pat. No. 8,169,477 discloses a digital videoborescope for drilled shaft inspection and is incorporated by referenceherein for showing the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Applicant has found that the invention of this application worksparticularly well with the drilling and inspection of drilled pileshafts wherein this reference is being used throughout this application.However, this application is not to be limited to drilled pile shaftswherein reference to piles in this application is not to limit the scopeof this application. “Piles” can equally refer to drilled shafts orother deep foundation elements. Application to shallow foundations isalso useful.

Sensing apparatuses have been used in the building and constructionindustry for a number of years. These sensing apparatuses include a widerange of devices used for a wide range of reasons in the field. Thesedevices include sensing devices that are used in connection with theinstallation and use of supporting elements such as piles that are usedto support the weight of superstructures such as but not limited tosupporting the weight of buildings and bridges. As can be appreciated,it is important to both ensure that a supporting foundation element,such as a pile, has been properly formed and installed and thatstructurally it is in proper condition throughout its use in the field.It must also have sufficient geotechnical bearing capacity to supportthe applied load without excessive settlement.

With respect to the installation of piles, it is important that thesestructures be properly constructed so that the pile can support theweight of a building or superstructure. Thus, over the years, systemshave been designed to work in connection with the installation of a pileto ensure that this pile meets the building requirements for thestructure. These include sensing devices that work in connection withthe driving of a pile as is shown in Piscsalko et al., U.S. Pat. No.6,301,551. Again, the Piscsalko patent is incorporated by referenceherein as background material relating to the sensing and driving ofstructural piles. These devices help the workers driving these piles todetermine that the pile has been properly driven within the soil withoutover stressing the pile during the driving process, and assure thesupervising engineer that the pile meets all design requirementsincluding adequate geotechnical bearing capacity.

Similarly, devices are known which are used to monitor the pile after itis driven. This includes the Piscsalko patents which include devicesthat can be used to monitor the pile even after the driving process.Further, Mcvay, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,502 also discloses a deviceused to monitor a pile during or after the driving process is completed.The information produced by the systems can be used to determine thecurrent state of the pile, including the geotechnical bearing capacity,and for determining a defect and/or damage, such as structural damage,that may or may not have incurred in response to any one of a number ofevents including natural disasters.

In addition, it is known in the art that devices can be used to helpdetermine the structural integrity of a poured pile wherein the pouringof the pile and the quality of this pouring can determine the structuralintegrity of the pile once a poured material like concrete has cured.Mullins, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,273 attempts to measure thisintegrity of a poured pile by disclosing a system and method for testingthe integrity of concrete shafts by moving a single thermal sensorarrangement up and down in a logging tube during the curing cycle of theconcrete in the poured pile. Piscsalko U.S. Pat. No. 8,382,369 disclosesan alternative to the Mullins device and discloses a thermal pilesensing device that includes one or more sensor strings, each withmultiple thermal sensors, that are capable of monitoring the entire pilegenerally simultaneously and over a period of time and can create two orthree dimensional images, in real time, based on the curing of thepoured material to assess structural integrity and/or other structuralcharacteristics.

However, while the prior art disclosed above can effectively measure theintegrity of the pile and certain aspects of the borehole during orafter the pouring of the pile, the bearing capacity of the pile is alsoand more usually dependent on the condition of the soil around thelength of the shaft and below the bottom borehole before the pile ispoured. The bearing capacity at the bottom of the borehole relates tocondition of the soil at the bottom of the borehole wherein loose soilhas less bearing capacity than soils that are undisturbed or dense.Loose soil also contributes to undesirable increased settlement of thesupported structure. Thus, it is best to reduce the amount of loose soilat the bottom of the borehole. In view of the difficulties associatedwith viewing the bottom of a borehole that can be many meters below theground surface, and frequently in an opaque slurry condition consistingof suspended clay particles mixed in water, or possibly a liquid polymermixture, it is common practice to employ a so-called “clean-out bucket”to reduce the amount of unsuitable bearing material, such as loose soil,at the shaft bottom. This procedure requires replacing the drillingequipment with the clean-out bucket which is then lowered into theborehole. The success of the bottom cleaning is, however, not assuredand several passes or cycles of this effort may be needed. Theuncertainty can lead to unnecessary effort and, therefore, cost.Throughout the remaining specification of this application, theterminology “debris layer” and/or “debris” will be used to generallydefine the unsuitable bearing material above the bearing layer. Theunsuitable bearing material includes, but is not limited to, loose soil,loose material, soft material and/or general debris. The debris togetherforms the debris layer.

The devices disclosed in the Tawfiq patents and the Ding patent attemptto overcome these problems by making it possible to inspect the bottomof the borehole and reduce the number of cycles and therefore the timeneeded for secondary operations, and/or reduce the required additionalcapacity above the design load to the minimal sufficient margin. Or, atleast to confirm that the secondary cleaning operations were successful.Another such device is the Drilled Shaft Inspection Device (SID)produced by GPE, Inc. More particularly, these systems are configured toonly visually inspect the borehole before the pile is poured. None ofthese systems can be used to estimate the capacity of the bearing layeror assure a satisfactory soil condition at the bottom of the borehole.With respect to the Tawfiq systems, they are complicated and heavysystems that are costly to operate in the field. One such problem isthat the weight of Tawfiq's system requires the use of large cranes orpulley systems to lower the Tawfiq's system into the borehole, andfurther to move and assess multiple locations on the bottom surface.Ding attempts to overcome the heavy system shortcomings in Tawfiq by theuse of a simple system that is lighter and purely mechanical in design.In this respect, Ding's system is essentially like a hand tool that mustbe operated by specially trained operators and operated at or near theborehole by these operators wherein the operator must cautiously worknear an open borehole. In operation, these operators must manually andcarefully lower the Ding system into a borehole without bumping the sidewall since any movement of the bottom plate before it reaches the bottomof the borehole could require the system to be retrieved to the surfaceand reset. In this respect, Ding utilizes manual plate movements tomeasure the depth of the debris layer at the bottom of the borehole, andretrieving the device after each measurement to record the result priorto deploying the device again to measure the next bottom location. WhileDing overcomes some of the complexity, weight and costs associated withthe Tawfiq systems, the Ding system is significantly more laborintensive since each measurement requires the system to be completelyremoved from the borehole and the displacement of the bottom platevisually determined and manually reset. For larger boreholes, this canbe numerous iterations to sufficiently measure the entire bottom of theborehole wherein each iteration requires the device to be completelyremoved from the hole. For deep shafts, the time to retrieve andredeploy is substantial. Yet further, the Ding system is designed onlyto measure the height of debris layer at the bottom of the borehole; itis not capable or configured for other measurements. In fact, it is toolight and thus incapable of measuring load bearing characteristics ofthe soil in the bearing layer. While for other reasons, the othersystems discussed above are also not capable of measuring load bearingcharacteristics. As a result, Ding's attempts to simplify his systemover the prior art ultimately resulted in greatly increased labor costto operate his system. In addition, Ding's simplified system alsoresults in a reduced amount of data that can be obtained since hissystem can only measure the amount of debris. Yet further, Ding'ssimplified system necessitates highly skilled operators to operate hissystem and to operate the system near the open borehole. Thus, whileDing overcomes some of the complexity issues relating to the prior art,it creates new and different problems in the art. Most importantly,however, both the Tawfiq and the Ding devices require skilled personnel,not necessarily skilled in safe construction work practices, to approachand work next to a large borehole, either filled with slurry or empty.This is generally not advisable, and in some instances, not permitted ona construction site. Additionally, these systems only attempt to measurethe debris layer on the bottom of the borehole, but none of the priorart can give any indication of the capacity of the soil of the bearinglayer, or of the condition of the sidewall.

Therefore, there is still a need for a system to inspect and test aborehole's soil strength before a pile is poured that reduces thecomplexity and cost of the system without adversely increasing laborcosts by requiring highly skilled operators at the jobsite for longperiods of time and working near the borehole. Yet further, there is aneed for a system that makes it less costly to inspect and test theborehole bottom and/or sides and reduces the need for, or time requiredby, the secondary excavating system to clean up the debris on the bottomof the borehole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention of this application relates to a borehole inspectiondevice; and more particularly, to a borehole or shaft hole inspectiondevice and system.

More particularly, the invention of this application relates to aborehole inspection that can quickly and accurately measure the debrislayer in a borehole.

According to one aspect of the present invention, provided is a devicewhich produces load-set curves or load versus displacement curves forone or more locations of the shaft bottom and/or sides to give theconstruction professional quick and reliable information about thequality and bearing capacity of the soils underneath the shaft bottomand/or the condition of the side walls of the shaft. Due to uncertaintyin the bottom of shaft condition, a designer often ignores end bearingand relies only on resistance along the side of the shaft when assessingthe bearing capacity of the shaft. By using the device of thisapplication, designers can with more confidence include end bearing intheir design and thus potentially save significant amounts of money inthe overall cost of the pile. This is particularly important when theshaft has to carry end bearing.

More particularly, in one set of embodiments, the device can measuresoil resistance by utilizing a reaction load and this reaction load canbe a substantial reaction load produced by the weight of the alreadypresent and massive drilling equipment.

According to yet another aspect of the invention of this application,this device can measure a reaction load to both determine the depth ofthe debris layer on the surface of the bottom of the borehole bottom andmeasure the load capacity of the bearing layer of the borehole below thedebris layer.

According to a further aspect of the invention of this application, thedevice can measure one or more conditions of the side of the boreholewherein the designer can with more confidence design for bearingcapacities and thus potentially save more money by justifiably reducingthe safety margin (by either decreasing the assumed ultimate bearingcapacity or increasing the design load since in either case the actualcapacity is then better known).

According to even yet another aspect of the invention of thisapplication, the device can use the weight of the drilling equipment asa reaction load. In fact, the device is conceived in such a way that itallows quick connection to the drilling equipment, which is alreadypresent on site to drill the foundation hole, and in that way iteliminates the need for setting up cumbersome additional equipment andreduces to a minimum any time delays between the end of the drillingprocess and the beginning of concrete casting. Yet further, the deviceof this application is therefore built such that it can be handled bythe contractors' skilled personnel who are trained to be around aborehole and allow the analyzers of the data to supervise the operationand analyze the data without ever going near the borehole, maybe as faraway as in their office.

According to a further aspect of the invention of this application, thedevice can include multiple sensors and these multiple sensors candetect and test more than one characteristic of the borehole.

According to another aspect of the invention of this application, thisdevice can be configured to quickly connect to the drilling equipmentwherein separate and independent lowering systems are not requiredthereby eliminating the need for setting up cumbersome additionalequipment and reducing to a minimum any time delays between the end ofthe drilling process and the beginning of concrete casting.

According to yet another aspect of the invention of this application,the device can include both force and displacement sensors therebymeasuring both the amount of debris and/or the bearing capacity of thebearing layer of the borehole bottom and/or sides.

According to yet other aspects of the present invention, the device caninclude the sensing on a device head that is lowered into the boreholeand a readout system spaced from the head that can be in communicationwith the device head (by wired, wireless, and/or underwater wirelesssystems) that can display real time data viewable by the operator of thedevice, personnel on site and/or personnel off site thereby preventingthe system from being removed from the borehole for each location testedon the borehole bottom, thus improving efficiency and reducing the timerequired for testing.

According to even yet other aspects of the invention, the testing devicecan be joined relative to a cleanout bucket thereby creating acombination debris cleaning and layer testing device.

According to yet a further aspect of the invention, provided is a devicethat can measure and determine at one or more points simultaneously:

-   -   The thickness of the debris layer and its strength    -   The strength of the bearing layer below the debris layer    -   The elastic modulus of the bearing layer    -   The uniformity of the debris layer and/or the bearing layer    -   The strength and/or condition of the sides of the borehole

According to yet other aspects of the invention, the borehole inspectiondevice or system has a configuration that allows it to be operated“wirelessly” as is defined by the application, but this is not required.Yet further, it can quickly and accurately measure the condition of theborehole including, but not limited to, accurately measure and/ordetermine the configuration of the bottom and/or side wall(s) of theopening or excavation to provide fast and reliable information about thequality, shape, radius and/or verticality of the borehole and/orexcavation.

According to one aspect of the present invention, provided is a systemthat includes a scanner or sensor arrangement that can be directedwithin the borehole, excavation or shaft hole to scan, sense and/ordetect the surfaces of the bottom and/or sides of the borehole todetermine one or more characteristics of the opening.

According to another aspect of the present invention, provided is asystem that includes a sensor arrangement that can be essentially a selfcontained sensor arrangement that can be directed within the borehole oropening. In that the sensor arrangement can be self contained, thedevice can be a “wireless” device wherein the self contained device isdirected into the borehole.

In one set of embodiments, the sensor arrangement can communicatewirelessly with an operator and/or system outside of the borehole and/oroff site. As will be discussed throughout this application, a “wireless”system can be any system that allows the downhole portion of the deviceto be used without being hard wired to an external system not lowered inthe borehole. This can include, but is not limited to, a) use of awireless operating and/or communication arrangement that allows thedownhole portion of the system to be operated independent of and/orcommunicate with external system(s) without communication wires and b)includes a data management system that allow the downhole portion of thesystem to be self contained and communicate data after a datameasurement cycle is completed and, the downhole portion is removed fromthe borehole and/or after the downhole portion returns to the surface ofthe borehole. The preferred versions of these arrangements will bediscussed more below and these preferred versions are intended to beexamples only and are not intended to limit this application.

In another set of embodiments, the sensor arrangement can retain dataand then communicate that data on demand. This can include, but is notlimited to, communicating the data after the system has cycled throughthe borehole and the sensor arrangement is at least partially removedfrom the borehole. While not preferred, a wired communication systemcould be utilized for this communication of data.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, provided is asystem that includes a sensor arrangement that is mountable to a KellyBar, the main line or cable used in the excavation and/or boring, and/orany other lowering device known in the industry that is used to dig,excavate, bore and/or clean out the borehole and/or excavation. By usingwireless technology and/or a self contained design, the system can bedeployed more quickly than prior systems. Yet further, any wirelesstechnology and/or data management systems could be used with the deviceof this application.

According to even yet another aspect of the present invention, providedis a system that can include a self contained sensor arrangement, whichis configured for inspecting a borehole. Further, the system includesa-sensor arrangement that eliminates the need to rotate the device inthe borehole, which is necessary in the prior art. As can beappreciated, this can further simplify the system. Further, it canimprove accuracies and response times compared to existing systems.

According to further aspects of the present invention, provided is asystem for inspecting a borehole that includes a sensor arrangementhaving circumferentially spaced sensors and/or testing devices that arecircumferentially spaced about a device or head axis and extend radiallyoutwardly from the device or head axis. This has been found to furtherreduce the need to rotate the device by allowing the sensor arrangementto simultaneously test at least a large portion of the borehole wall(s)around the entire sensor device. Further, this can include multiple setsof sensors that are staggered relative to one another to allow for agreater portion of the borehole wall(s) to be scanned simultaneously. Inone set of embodiments, the multiple sets could be axially spaced fromone another along the head axis.

According to yet other aspects of the present invention, provided is asystem for inspecting a borehole that includes a sensor arrangement thatincludes multiple sets of sensors that are configured for differentconditions found within the borehole. In this respect, one set ofsensors (that includes one or more first sensors) could be configuredfor dry environments while one or more other sets of sensors (thatincludes one or more second sensors, etc.) could be configured for wetor slurry environments.

According to other aspects of the present invention, provided is asystem for inspecting a borehole that includes a sensor arrangement thatincludes sensors, receivers and/or reference members at known spacingsthat can be used to measure changes in the slurry density and/or wavespeeds as the device is lowered into the borehole.

According to yet even other aspects of the present invention, providedis a system for inspecting a borehole that includes a depth measurementsystem and/or depth control system. The depth measurement system and/ordepth control system can include multiple pressure sensors. In apreferred arrangement, this system includes at least two pressuresensors that are at known spacings to one another and axial spaced fromone another by a known spacing. The depth measurement system can includeone or more accelerometers, one or more altimeters, timers, clocks,rotary encoders, or any other depth measuring systems known to calculateand/or measure depth of the sensor arrangement. As with other aspects ofthe system and/or arrangement, the calculated/measured depth can bestored and/or selectively communicated to other parts of the system.

According to further aspects of the present invention, the system caninclude one or more accelerometers and/or one or more altimeters todetermine the verticality of the system within the borehole. Further,the verticality measurements of the scanner system can be used tocomplement scanner system measurements. Yet further, the system canfurther include a rotary encoder fixed relative to a Kelly Bar (or otherlowering device) that can measure depth either independently and/or incombination with other devices including, but not limited to, pressuresensors(s), accelerometers, timers, clocks and/or altimeters. When usedin combination, the rotary encoder can be synced with the pressuresensor(s), accelerometers, timer, clocks and/or altimeters to furtherimprove accuracies in depth measurement.

According to even yet other aspects of the present invention, the depthof the system within the borehole can be calculated, at least in part,using two or more pressure sensors having known vertical spacingswherein the pressure sensors can work together to detect depth. Thedepth is detected based on the changes in the slurry density and thiscan be used to determine the depth of the sensor arrangement.

According to yet further aspects of the present invention, the use ofrotary encoder, pressure sensors, accelerometers, timers, clocks and/oraltimeters, in combination with other aspects of the invention and/orwireless technology eliminates the need for wires and/or linesconnecting the lowered device to surface systems and/or operator(s)monitoring the borehole inspection on site or off site during datacollection.

According to other aspects of the present invention, a timing system canbe included to synchronize one or more components of the sensor systemthereby allowing the system to be “wireless.” In this respect, thesystem can include a lower arrangement that is configured to lower thesensor arrangement into the borehole. The lower arrangement can includea lowering timer and the sensor arrangement can include a sensor timer.The lowering timer and the sensor timer can be synchronized. Moreover,sensor data can be measured as a function of time and depth can bemeasured as a function of time wherein the sensor data and the depthdata can then be synchronized with respect to time to determine thedepth of the sensor data. This data can then be communicated by wireand/or wirelessly during and/or after the test to allow wirelessoperation during the data collection phase.

According to even yet further aspects of the present invention, the useof rotary encoders, accelerometers, timers, clocks and/or altimeters incombination with wireless technology better allows for semi-automationand/or full automation of the inspection process. Yet further, multipleboreholes could be inspected simultaneously with a device and system ofthis application by a single operator and/or single operating system.

According to another aspect of the invention of this application, thedevices of this application can also work in combination with othersystems for borehole inspection. This can include, but is not limited todevices used to measure the bearing capacity of the soils underneath theshaft bottom and/or the bearing capacity the side walls of the shaftopening.

More particularly, in one set of embodiments, the system can work incombination with devices configured to measure soil resistance byutilizing a reaction load and this reaction load can be a substantialreaction load produced by the weight of the already present and massivedrilling equipment.

According to yet another aspect of the invention of this application,the system can work in combination with devices that can measure areaction load to both determine the depth of the debris layer on thesurface of the bottom of the borehole bottom and measure the loadcapacity of the bearing layer of the borehole below the debris layer.

According to a further aspect of the invention of this application, thesystem can work in combination with devices that can measure the bearingcapacities of the side wall and thus potentially save more money byjustifiably reducing the safety margin as the bearing capacity is betterknown).

According to a further aspect of the invention of this application, thesystem can include multiple sensors and these multiple sensors candetect and test more than one characteristic of the borehole. As notedabove, the use of multiple sensors can also prevent the need for therotation of the device.

According to another aspect of the invention of this application, thesystem can be configured to quickly connect to the drilling equipmentwherein separate and independent lowering systems are not requiredthereby eliminating the need for setting up cumbersome additionalequipment and reducing to a minimum any time delays between the end ofthe drilling process and the beginning of concrete casting.

According to yet another aspect of the invention of this application,the system can work in combination with devices that include both forceand displacement sensors thereby measuring both the amount of debrisand/or the bearing capacity of the bearing layer of the borehole bottomand/or sides.

According to yet other aspects of the present invention, the system caninclude the sensing on the head unit that is lowered into the boreholeand a surface system (on site or off site) that can be in communicationwith the head unit and that can display real time data viewable by theoperator of the device, personnel on site and/or personnel off sitethereby preventing the system from being removed from the borehole foreach location tested on the borehole bottom, thus improving efficiencyand reducing the time required for testing.

These and other objects, aspects, features, advantages and developmentsof the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon areading of the Detailed Description of the invention set forth belowtaken together with the drawings which will be described in the nextsection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement ofparts, a preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail andillustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof andwherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view a prior art cleanout bucket utilized toclean the bottom surface of a borehole;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view the prior art cleanout bucket shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view taken at the bottom of a borehole andwhich shows an embodiment of the invention of this application at a setor initial engagement point;

FIG. 3A is an elevational view taken at the bottom of a borehole andwhich shows an embodiment of the invention of this application at thebottom of the borehole as sensors begin to engage the bearing layer;

FIG. 3B is an elevational view taken at the bottom of a borehole andwhich shows an embodiment of the invention of this application at thebottom of the borehole as sensors fully engage the bearing layer;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing displacement and force relationship for asensor of the device of this application;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view taken at the bottom of a borehole andwhich shows another embodiment of the invention of this application;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view which shows yet another embodiment of theinvention of this application;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view which shows a further embodiment of theinvention of this application;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view which shows yet a further embodiment ofthe invention of this application;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of a plate that can be used with embodiments ofthis application;

FIG. 10 is an elevational view of yet another embodiment of thisapplication configured to also measure the side walls before the pile ispoured;

FIG. 11 shows an elevational view of yet a further embodiment of thisapplication including a lateral bearing measurement feature to produce aload versus displacement curve for the borehole side wall;

FIG. 12 shows an elevational view, partially sectioned, of yet a furtherset of embodiments of this application including a borehole inspectingand testing device joined relative to a cleanout bucket shown in aretracted condition;

FIG. 13 shows an elevational view, partially sectioned, of the boreholeinspecting and testing device shown in FIG. 12 in a measurementcondition;

FIG. 14 shows a bottom view of the borehole inspecting and testingdevice shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a side elevational view a borehole inspection deviceaccording to certain other aspects of the present invention that ispositioned within a bore and/or excavation hole;

FIG. 16 is a side elevational view the borehole inspection device shownin FIG. 15 descending within a slurry;

FIG. 17 is a side elevational view yet another borehole inspectiondevice according to certain other aspects of the present invention thatis positioned within a bore and/or excavation hole;

FIG. 18 is a side elevational view yet another borehole that includes anon-vertical section;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged schematic view of a sensor array in a firstorientation;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged schematic view of the sensor array shown in FIG.19 in a second orientation;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged schematic view of another sensor array;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged schematic view of yet another sensor array;

FIG. 23 is a side elevation view of another embodiment of the boreholeinspection device of this application with dual pressure sensors; and,

FIG. 24 is a schematic representation of a measurement system for a partof the system.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purposeof illustrating preferred and alternative embodiments of the inventiononly and not for the purpose of limiting the same, FIGS. 1 and 2 show aprior art clean out bucket CB which includes a mounting arrangement ARconfigured to selectively secure the bucket to a drilling mast,drillstem or Kelly bar (not shown in these figures). These masts have asquare cross-sectional configuration wherein the mounting arrangementcan be sized to slide over the mast and includes a locking features LFto secure the bucket relative to the mast. However, any attachmentconfiguration could be used without detracting from the invention ofthis application. By including a square configuration, the mast canimpart a rotational force on the bucket. The bucket further includes oneor more side walls BW and a bottom B having a blade and a blade opening(both not shown). In operation the bucket is rotated such that the bladedirects debris (which includes the unsuitable bearing materialincluding, but is not limited to, loose soil, loose material, softmaterial and/or general debris) through the blade opening into theinterior of the bucket. The bucket's function is to remove any debris onthe bottom of the borehole to provide a clean bearing layer surface inthe borehole. If the borehole is substantially larger than the diameterof the bucket, the operator can move the bucket about the boreholebottom to clean all or most of the borehole bottom. Removing the“debris” contributes to increased end bearing and reduced settlement ofthe supported structure.

With reference to FIG. 3, shown is a borehole inspection and testingdevice 10 in a borehole BH. Borehole BH has a side wall SW extendingbetween a top opening O in a ground layer G and a bottom extent BE.Bottom extent BE defines the borehole bottom referenced above andincludes both a debris layer DL and a bearing layer BL. As can beappreciated, both layers in the bottom extent can be much thicker thanshown wherein this drawing is only intended to be a generalrepresentation of these layers for the purpose of describing theinvention of this application. Yet further, the bearing layer can extendessentially indefinitely into the ground. As discussed more above, dueto its loose conditions, the debris layer has much less load bearingcapacity and contributes to undesirable excessive settlement of thesupported structure, wherein it is desired to minimize this layer andremove or eliminate as much debris as possible. Conversely, the bearinglayer has a much greater bearing capacity; however, there are still manyfactors that impact the bearing capacity of the bearing layer.Accordingly, even though it is known that the bearing capacity of thebearing layer is greater than that of the debris layer, the exactbearing capacity is not known and cannot be determined by prior artsystems.

FIG. 3 further shows inspection and testing device 10 in borehole BH.Device 10 includes a downhole testing head unit or head assembly 12along with one or more surface control and/or display unit(s) 14 thatcan be in direct communication with testing unit 12 by way of one ormore communication lines that will be discussed more below. Yet further,control and/or display unit 14 could be an integral part of the overalldevice which is lowered into the borehole as part of the entire system,preprogrammed to perform the required testing, and guided by electronicsensors. Testing unit 12 includes a head plate or assembly 16 having atop 20 and a bottom 22. Plate 16 further includes sides 30-33 (33 notshown). However, the configuration shown in these drawings is notintended to limit the invention of this application wherein plate 16 canbe a wide range of shapes and sizes; including a device having acylindrical configuration. In one embodiment, plate 16 is about 18inches in diameter and would be operated to take several readings aroundthe borehole bottom for larger boreholes.

Extending from top side 20 is a mounting arrangement 40 that is shapedto receive a Kelly bar KB or drillstem. Mounting arrangement 40 includesa locking bar 42 to lock unit 12 relative to the bar KB and maintain theengagement between the bar and the device. Plate or assembly 16 caninclude one or more holes or openings 46 that can allow unit 12 to morefreely descend through standing water in the borehole. However, it mustbe understood that the invention of this application is not to belimited to the support structures shown and described in thisapplication wherein any type of support structure could be used withoutdetracting from the invention of this application including, but is notlimited to, round drill stems, with or without a Kelly bar, and/ordedicated support structures.

Unit 12 can include one or more force sensors, shown in this embodimentare two force sensors 50 and 52 extending out of bottom 22. Forcesensors 50 and 52 can include any mechanism or system known in the artor the sensor art to determine an applied load. This can include, but isnot limited to, strain sensors or gauges, pressure sensors or gauges,such as gauges 54 and 56, respectively, for sensors 50 and 52. Thesesensors are configured to measure, force or strain on the sensors thatcan be used to determine layer depth locations, bearing capacity of thedebris layer, the thickness of the debris layer, depth location of thebearing layer and/or the bearing capacity of the bearing layer, whichwill be disclosed more below. While sensors, such as sensors 50 and 52,are shown and described as “cone sensors,” these sensors can have a widerange of configurations without detracting from the invention of thisapplication including, but not limited to, cone shapes, conical shapes,semi-conical shapes, flat bottomed shapes, spherical bottom shapes andothers. In addition, these various shapes can have differentcross-sectional sizes and/or configurations including different lengthswithout detracting from the invention of this application.

Unit 12 can further include one or more displacement sensors, such asthe two sensors 60 and 62 shown, which will also be discussed morebelow. As will be discussed more below, the displacement sensors canwork in combination with the force sensors to measure the physicalcharacteristics of the borehole bottom. In this set of embodiments,sensors 60 and 62 are configured to move relative to plate 16 throughopenings 64-65, respectively. Unit 12 and/or sensors 60 and 62 caninclude a displacement sensor that can measure the movement of sensors60 and 62 relative to head unit 12 and/or any other components of thesystem. Further, sensors 60 and 62 are biased downwardly and can bebiased by any mechanical system known in the art. The biasing caninclude, but is not limited to weights 66, springs (not shown), fluidsand the like for the biasing of these sensors downwardly. In order tohelp prevent sensors 60 and 62 from penetrating the debris layer, thesesensors can include bottom plate units 68 and 69, respectively.

In operation, head unit 12 and/or system 10 can be lowered into boreholeBH. The unit and/or system can be lowered by way of any system or deviceknown in the art including, but not limited to, the borehole drillingequipment by way of Kelley bar KB and/or a dedicated lifting device,which will be discussed more below. Further, the lowering of the systemcan be monitored by a depth measuring system 63. Depth measuring system63 can be any depth measuring system known in the art to measuredownward displacement. The system can then be lowered until a reactionforce is measured on the one or more of the sensors. This can bedisplacement of one or more of the displacement sensors and/or a forcereading on one or more of the force sensors of the system. The forcesensors are configured to relatively easily penetrate through the debrislayer, the displacement sensors are configured to rest on top of thedebris layer. Thus, the force sensor will penetrate the debris layer andthe displacement sensors will not. In one set of embodiments, thedisplacement of the displacement sensors can be used to measure thedepth of the debris layers. Further, the reaction force on the forcesensors can be utilized to determine the bearing capacity, or lackthereof, of the debris layer. The downward movement is continued untilthe force sensors engage the bearing layer. As will be discussed morebelow, the change in force readings on the force sensors can be used todetermine the location of the bearing layer. In this respect, the forcereading(s) on the force sensors will change significantly when the forcesensors transition into the bearing layer. This, in combination with thedisplacement sensors, can measure the thickness and/or depth of thedebris layer. In accordance with another embodiment, the force sensorsalone can measure debris layer depth by monitoring force readings incombination depth measuring system 63.

In one embodiment, the one or more force sensors can be three or moreforce sensors. The penetration force can be measured in any wayincluding, but not limited to, electronically, hydraulically and/orpneumatically, which includes, but is not limited to, by strain sensors.The hydraulic or pneumatic pressure can be configured to be sensed atthe surface which would improve the ruggedness of the device, but couldbe sensed anywhere along the hydraulic supply lines, including withinthe borehole at or near plate 16. Semiconductor strain gages can also beused, providing reliable strain measurements even if the strains aresmall (allowing for large range of load measurements). Calibrated forcesensors could also be used and/or one or more sensors having differentconfigurations could be used. For example, one set of force sensorscould be configured to measure the lower forces of the debris layerwhile another set could be configured to measure the larger loads of thebearing layer. For the displacement sensors and/or depth measurementsystem, the displacement could be measured by any way known in the artincluding, but not limited to, hydraulically, LVDT, potentiometer,ultrasonic, radar, laser, RF, wirelessly by either sonic waves or lasertechnology relative to the top of the borehole or otherwise. Thedisplacement could be measured as the distance between the plate 16 andbottom plates 68 and 69. Sensors 60 and 62 also can be weighted and/orspring loaded wherein, in a preferred embodiment, they are lightlyweighted with weights 66 so as to keep the bottom plates in contact withthe top of the debris of debris layer DL, but allow resistance, but freemovement.

All load measurements (from direct force measurements, hydraulicpressure, pneumatic pressure and/or strain measurements converted toforce) could be displayed against this displacement measurement, in realtime. Ideally one would pair one load transducer display with a nearbydisplacement measurement, although the average load and averagedisplacement would also provide a meaningful result. Individualmeasurements would provide information about the variability of thebottom and/or bottom surface angles. However, the measurements could beeasily repeated at various locations around the bottom of the sometimesvery large shaft diameter. Yet further, other sensors, such as one ormore accelerometers or tilt sensors (not shown) could be utilized tomeasure surface angles.

These sensors, and others, can be in communication with workers on thesurface operating the equipment by one or more communication linesbetween head unit 12 and control unit 14. These communication lines canutilize any technology known in the art and new technology tocommunicate data to the surface. This can include, but is not limitedto, hydraulic lines, electrical lines, data lines, fiber optics, coaxcable, USB, HDMI, Ethernet, CAT 5, CAT 5e, CAT 6, serial cables,parallel cables, wireless technology, radio frequency communication,sonar, and/or optical communication. The control system canalternatively be located at or near plate/assembly 16 and operate fromwithin the borehole. As can be appreciated, by utilizing a communicationsystem to transfer data to the surface allows the data to be quicklyaccessed by the workers and prevents the need to retrieve the systemfrom the borehole after each reading. Yet further, the control unit 14can be a computing system and can be coupled to one or more othercomputing systems that can be used, for example, to control the testingoperations, track data, store data, analyze data and/or transmit dataincluding transmissions to off-site remote locations. Yet further, thecomputing system can include one or more local computing systems at thejobsite or borehole, including within the borehole, such as unit 14, andone or more computing systems that are off site (not shown), but incommunication with unit 14. Even yet further, a wide range of operatingsystems can be used by workers and/or engineers and these systems can beany system known in the art including, local systems, network systems,application software, cloud based system and/or a blend of thesesystems. By using systems, such as a cloud based system, manyindividuals can monitor and/or evaluate data in real time. As a result,engineers can monitor more than one testing operation and can do soeither at the jobsite and/or at a remote location. Further, theoperation unit can be separate from the data collection unit. Yetfurther, this can allow the contractor to operate the system whileallowing an engineer to monitor the operation at any desired location.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, communication lines 70-73 are used totransfer signals and/or data to unit 14. These lines can be the samelines and/or different lines. For example, one or more lines could beelectrical lines to transfer data and other lines could be hydrauliclines to transfer pressure and/or pulses. In the embodiments shown inthese figures, line 70 is joined between sensor 50 and control unit 14,line 71 is joined between sensor 60 and control unit 14, line 72 isjoined between sensor 52 and control unit 14, and line 73 is joinedbetween sensor 62 and control unit 14. Unit 14 can be any computingsystem known in the art and can include a data storage and/or a displaydevice, potentially monitored remotely will allow the engineer to makean immediate decision as any necessary cleaning or additional drillingnecessary to completing the shaft. Unit 14 can also serve as a datacollector to supplement field installation logs and for productiondocumentation.

In operation, the drillstem or Kelly bar KB can be used to lower unit 12into borehole BH and to direct the device into engagement with bottomextent BE. Further, Kelly bar KB, can be used to provide the applicationload to unit 12 and/or can be used to determine head depth. As thedevice approaches bottom BE, sensors 60 and 62 can be used to detect anengagement with debris layer DL, as is shown in FIG. 3. This detectioncan be used to mark the location or depth of the top surface of thedebris layer and, therefore, provide a reference for the measurement ofthe thickness of any debris. At the same time it can also create a baseor reference point for the remaining data readings. As the device isurged further downwardly, as is shown in FIG. 3A, sensors 60 and 62 willremain on top of the debris layer while sensors 50 and 52 will penetratethe debris layer. As a result, in at least one embodiment, sensors 60and 62 can measure displacement while sensors 50 and 52 measure theforce or load applied in any layer on the bottom of the borehole. Thiscan be used to create a displacement and force relationship and/or loadversus displacement curves and the basis for the calculation of thesoil's elastic modulus. Bottom plates 68 and 69 help maintain sensors 60and 62 on the top of the debris layer and further downward movementresults in sensors 60 and 62 moving relative to head plate 16 whereinthis displacement can be measured. Even though force sensors 50 and 52are moving through the debris layer, they can still measure theresistance, load, force or strain in this movement to generate a loadbearing data curve of force versus displacement for this layer. As unit12 is moved further into the borehole, as is shown in FIG. 3B, sensors50 and 52 will e engage bearing layer BL as is shown in FIG. 3B. Whenthis occurs, the load applied to sensors 50 and 52 will markedlyincrease wherein these sensors can be used to determine when thesesensors engage the bearing layer and the bearing location or depth ofthe bearing layer can be calculated or determined. See FIG. 4. In thisrespect, the load on these sensors will increase in the bearing layer asthey encounter denser materials of increased bearing capacity. Thus,when they encounter the bearing layer, the readings of force and/orstrain on sensors 50 and 52 will increase. At this point, thedisplacement of the sensors 60 and 62 between the set point (FIG. 3) (orinitial top of debris layer) and the bearing point (FIG. 3B) can be usedto determine the thickness and/or depth of the debris layer. Again, asstated above, while only two sets of two sensors are shown in thefigures, more or less sensors could be used without detracting from theinvention of this application.

In greater detail and with special reference to FIG. 4, as the unit 12is lowered into the borehole, the force on sensors 50 and 52 is zero andremains zero until unit 12 reaches depth 80 as is shown in FIG. 3. Then,continued downward movement will increase the force on force sensors 50and 52 wherein sensors 50 and 52 can be used, in some embodiments, todetermine the position of debris layer DL and/or bearing layer BL. Theforces on sensors 50 and 52 remain low as sensors 50 and 52 move throughthe debris layer, but could fluctuate based on the debris that is on thebottom of the borehole. Continued downward movement will continue toread lower force levels until 12 reaches depth 82 as is shown in FIG.3A. At this point, the forces on sensors 50 and 52 will begin to riserapidly as they engage bottom layer BL in view of the greater density ofbearing layer BL. Again, reaching this depth, which can be at least inpart recorded by sensors 60 and 62, will cause the sharp increase inforces on sensors 50 and 52 and this sharp increase also could be usedto determine the depth and/or thickness of the debris layer along withthe location of the bearing layer. However, as is discussed above (andwill be discussed more below), separate sensing systems could be usedfor determining the location of the layers. It should be appreciatedthat sensors 50 and 52 should be sufficiently long to penetrate into thebearing layer BL prior to the unit 12 bottom reaching the top of thedebris layer DL. Then, downward movement of unit 12 can be continueduntil the forces stabilize, shown as depth 84 in FIG. 3B. When thisoccurs, the bearing capacity of the bearing layer can be determined.Thus, system 10 can accurately measure the depth location of the top ofthe debris layer, the thickness of the debris layer, the bearingcapacity of the debris layer, the depth location of the top of thebearing layer and the capacity of the bearing layer. In accordance withone set of embodiments, sensors 60 and 62 can be configured to determineboth the top extent of the debris layer and the thickness of the debrislayer while force sensors 50 and 52 measure the bearing capacity of thedebris layer, the bearing capacity of the bearing layer and the topextent of the bearing layer.

Yet further, the measurements can be made at multiple locations aroundthe bottom of the borehole with simple lateral repositioning of unit 12and without removing unit 12 from the borehole. In addition, thesemeasurements can be analyzed by any operator either at the jobsite or ata remote location. Further yet, this data can be analyzed and stored foroperational uses, quality assurance uses and other uses. These movementscan be guided by electronic sensors such as gyros, GPS, etc.Additionally, the control system may be part of the mechanical systemand operate automatically from within the borehole. This automaticsystem could include sensors to guide the positioning and movementwithin the borehole as well as automatically perform the desired testand store all relevant data for later analysis.

With reference to FIGS. 5-14, examples of yet other embodiments areshown. In these figures, like reference numbers are utilized for similarstructures in the interest of brevity and system already discussed aboveare not discussed in reference to these figures in the interest ofbrevity. These figures are merely intended to show examples arealternative embodiments and can include any feature, function, system,structure and/or component discussed above. Thus, this is not to beinterpreted to limit these embodiments.

FIG. 5 shows a head unit 100 that includes a two piece plate design.This design includes a head plate/assembly 112 and secondary plate orassembly 120. In this embodiment, secondary plate 120 can be configuredto both determine the location of the debris and bearing layers and alsodetermine capacities. Secondary plate 120 is configured to move relativeto plate 112 and this relative movement can be tracked by sensor 60 suchit can also be used to measure the location of the debris layer and thedepth and/or thickness of the debris layer. In addition, plate 120 caninclude sensors 130 and 132 to help determine the consistency of thedebris layer or confirm the readings of sensors 50, 52 (only one shownin this figure) that can operate as described above.

FIG. 6 shows a head unit 200 that includes a different two piece design.This design includes a head plate/assembly 212 and a secondary plate orassembly 220. In this embodiment, secondary plate 220 is configured toboth determine the depth location of the layers and also determinecapacities. Yet further, this embodiment, and the other embodiments ofthis application, can be configured such that the system operates by wayof its own weight W. Weight W can be produced by any mechanismincluding, but not limited to, the weight of the head assembly itself, asecondary weight 222 and/or a secondary spring arrangement 224.Secondary plate 220 can be configured to move relative to plate 212 suchthat it can operate based on its own weight W and wherein it can also beused to measure the location of the debris layer and the depth and/orthickness of the debris layer. As a result, the system could be loweredby the Kelly Bar or could be lowered by any other means, including butnot limited to, a cable connected to a crane, crane-like system orpulley system. In one embodiment, weight W is greater than approximately50 pounds. In another embodiment, the weight is between approximately100 and 300 pounds. In a preferred format weight W is approximately 150pounds. However, it should be noted that while these weights (and rangesof weights) may be preferred, the invention of this application is notlimited to these weights and/or ranges. Thus, when the probes penetrate,and in view of the known weight W, this data can be used to determinebearing capacity, or at least to determine the depth and/or thickness ofthe debris layer. In addition, plate 220 includes one or more sensors230 and 232 to determine both the consistency of the debris layer andthe bearing capacities as discussed above in greater detail in view ofthe know weight W. The movement of secondary plate 220 relative toprimary plate 212 can be tracked for layer location and/or thickness. Inaddition, further downward movement of the unit forces the plates 212and 220 together (not shown) to allow additional readings, such as theuse of sensors 230 and 232 to determine the bearing capacity of thebearing layer.

FIG. 7 shows a head unit 300 that includes a single plate design. Thisdesign includes a head plate/assembly 312 that includes one or moresensors 50, 52 that can operate as described above. However, in thisembodiment, location and/or depth can be determined by one or moreelectronic sensors in sensor unit 320. Sensor unit 320 can work inconnection with other systems described in this invention (including,but not limited to sensors 60/62) and can be used to help determine thelocation of the bottom of the borehole. Sensor unit 320 can be anysensor capable of detecting an object, surface or plane including, butnot limited to sonar, radar, lasers and/or optical technologies. Yetfurther, these sensors alone, or along with others could be utilized todetermine if the borehole is vertical. Even yet further, depth could bemeasured using a sensor detecting the pressure of the fluid, and smallchanges of fluid pressure then converted to relative displacements. Yeteven further, sensor unit 320 could include multiple sensors to helpaccount for differences in fluid densities at different depths forboreholes that are filled with a borehole fluid to help maintain theintegrity of the borehole between drilling and filling.

FIG. 8 shows a head unit 400 that is being used to illustrate that theprobes or sensors can include different configurations. In this respect,unit 400 includes a head plate 412 with both probes 50, 52 described ingreater detail above and one or more flat bottomed probe(s) 420. Thisembodiment can include other sensor configuration described in thisapplication and can further improve the measuring accuracies of thedevice. More particularly, one or more sensors of this application canbe configured for a single function wherein multiple sensors are usedfor all needed functions. In this embodiment, probes 420 can beconfigured to only determine the bearing capacities of the layers inthat the flat bottom will reduce penetration and can make it easier tocalculate bearing forces. Unit 400 can further include one or moredisplacement sensors, such as sensors 60 and 62, described above ingreater detail.

With reference to FIG. 9, shown is a displacement plate 460 that can beused to replace bottom plate units 68 and 69 of sensors 60 and 62,respectively of any embodiment of this application. Replacing plateunits 68 and 69 with one or more movement plates 460 can increase thesurface area for the base of the displacement sensors to help preventthe penetration of sensors into the debris layer. This can provide formore accurate depth measurement, or at least can be used to average thedepth measurement of the thickness of the debris layer. In that plate460 moves with the depth sensors, the plate can include openings 470 and472 to allow sensors 50 and 52 to pass therethrough so that plate 460can move relative to sensors 50 and 52. Plate 460, along with plateunits 68/69 described above, can include one or more holes or openings480 of any size to help lower the plate and the overall unit intostanding water and/or borehole fluids in the borehole. Plate 460 caninclude one or more attachment arrangements 482 to secure plate 460relative to the displacement sensors, such as displacement sensors 60and 62. However, while two attachment locations are shown, this is notrequired.

With reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, the devices and systems of thisapplication can further include a wide range of other sensors. Theseother sensor(s) can be configured to measure the layers discussed aboveand/or other characteristics of the borehole. As is shown in FIG. 10, aborehole measuring device 500 can include a plate unit assembly 510 thatalso includes one or more side sensor(s) 520. Essentially, side sensorscan be spaced circumferentially about the plate to measure the conditionof side wall SW and/or the location of the side wall. The number of sidesensors can be based on the “resolution” that is desired. In thisrespect, the more sensors circumferentially positioned about plate 510can increase the amount of side wall that can be accurately measured.Yet further, any number of sensor(s) 520 could be positioned centrallyand could be configured to scan 360 degrees and/or rotate 360 degrees toscan side wall SW. In one embodiment, there are between about 6 and 8sensors 520 spaced about the plate, preferably equidistantly about thecentral axis of the plate. Again these additional sensors can be used incombination with any embodiment of this application and, for example,device 500 can include one or more laterally facing pressure sensors 50,52 that can operate as described above. As discussed above, sensors 520could include multiple sensors at each location (or at least at one ofthe locations) to help account for, or calculate for, differences influid densities at different depths for boreholes that are filled with aborehole fluid to help maintain the integrity of the borehole betweendrilling and filling. While all of the sensors could have this feature,one embodiment includes at least one sensor with the dual sensor featurethat can be used to determine the fluid density and the remaining sensorcan utilize this data.

With special reference to FIG. 11, plate or unit 510 discussed above canalso include one or more different types of sensors that are laterallypositioned including, but not limited to, laterally facing sensors 50 xand 52 x that are actuateable laterally so that they can be forcedeither against or into the side wall to determine one or more physicalcharacteristics of the side wall(s). These sensors can be pushed againstthe side wall to determine location and/or bearing capacity. Further,this embodiment, and others can utilize downward electronic sensor(s)320, discussed above, for depth measurement. As a result, sensors 320and 520 discussed above in relation to FIG. 10 can be used to measurethe shape, condition and locations of the layers and side walls, whilesensors 50 and 52 can measure bearing capacities of the bottom layersand sensors 50 x and 52 x can measure bearing capacities of the sidewall. As with sensors 320, sensors 520 can be any sensors configured todetermine surface geometries including, but not limited to sonar, radar,lasers and/or optical technologies.

Yet further, the force sensors 50, 52, 50 x and/or 52 x could bereplaced by a plate which measures an average soil resistance over awider area. Further, the device can also record a dynamic load test atvarying impact speeds, by using an impact weight against a bearing plateon the drillstem. Yet further, the units of this application can includean inclinometer, accelerometer(s), and/or tilt meter to determine theangle or pitch of the bottom of the borehole. This can include, but isnot limited to, the use of sensors 50, 52, 60 and/or 62 operatedindependently of one another to determine displacement or pressuredifferences that can be used to calculate pitch. As mentioned above, thenumber of sensors can depend on many factors including desiredaccuracies, costs and the use of the sensors wherein determination ofcharacteristics, such as pitch, could necessitate more sensors.Accordingly, while it may be preferred that three sensors be used, it isnot required. Yet further, the system can utilize other technologies,such as GPS, that can be used to locate and mark which hole in theconstruction site is being tested. This data can be utilized to organizetest data for future use or review. The GPS can be any position locatingsystem such as satellite based positioning systems and jobsite basedlocation systems. These other sensors, such as the side sensors notedabove, can also be used to determine the position of the unit within theboreholes, such as whether the device is centered within the oneborehole. Yet further, gyroscopic and/or geomagnetic based systems canbe utilized to track movement of the systems within the borehole.

Yet further, as is noted above, the borehole inspection and testingdevices of this application could be joined to a wide range of supportstructures and these even include a dedicated support system wherein theinspection and testing device could be left in place for permanentpressure monitoring, which is particularly useful in conjunction withhydraulic pressure measurement systems which have the ability ofaccurately sensing the pressures applied by a structure to thefoundation. In addition, the inspection and testing devices of thisapplication could be used without a Kelly bar or drill stems withoutdetracting from the invention of this application. Yet further, theinspection and testing device can also be configured to extract samplesof the debris/bearing layer. This can be done with a wide range ofsystems including, but not limited to, one or more hollow penetrometers(not shown).

With reference to FIGS. 12-14, shown is a borehole inspection andtesting device 600 having a head unit 610 that is joined relative to acleanout bucket 612. This particular embodiment allows a single deviceto both remove debris from the bottom of the borehole and test thelayers at bottom of the borehole as are discussed in greater detailabove. As can be appreciated, this can further streamline the process ofpreparing and testing the borehole bottom by eliminating change overtimes between the use of the cleanout bucket and the inspection andtesting devices of this application.

In greater detail, system 600 can include an annular extension ring 620that can move relative to cleanout bucket 612. Ring 620 can include oneor more sensor similar to one or more of the sensors discussed ingreater detail above with respect to any of the disclosed embodiments.In the particular example shown, head unit 610 can include one or moreforce sensors 650 and 652 that can be similar to force sensors 50 and 52discussed in greater detail above and/or one or more displacementsensors 660 and 662 that can be similar to displacement sensors 60 and62 also discussed in greater detail above. While this example includes afour sensor arrangement, any number of sensors could be used withoutdetracting from the invention of this application. Yet further, evenside wall sensors could be utilized in this embodiment. And, the sidewall sensors could be separate from extension ring 620.

Head unit 610 can further include a support ring 630 that can be joinedto extension ring 620 by one or more actuation devices 632 that allowring 620 and sensors 650, 652, 660, 662 to move relative to support ring630 and bucket 612 along axis 636. Actuation devices 632 can be anyactuation devices including, but not limited to, hydraulic and/orpneumatic cylinders. System 600 can further include a shieldingapparatus 638 to protect head unit 610. This is particularly importantwhen device 600 is lowered into borehole O and during the operation ofthe cleanout bucket. The shielding apparatus can include an upper shield640 that can be formed by a top wall 642 and a side wall 644. In theembodiment shown, the side wall is a single cylindrical side wall, butthis is not required. In addition, shielding apparatus can furtherinclude a bottom protective ring 646. Bottom protection ring 646 can bejoined to side wall 644 or to the head unit. Further, ring 646 caninclude ring openings 648 that allow the sensors to retract intoshielding apparatus 638 when the testing unit is not in use there byfurther protecting the equipment of the testing unit.

In operation, head unit can moves between a retracted position 668 as isshown in FIG. 12, wherein head unit 610 and the sensors are spaced froma working end 670 of bucket 612. This allows bucket 612 to be utilizedto remove debris from the borehole without damaging the head unit.

FIG. 13 shows system 600 in an extended position 669 wherein system 600can measure the bottom layers of the boreholes as is discussed ingreater detail above. Further, actuators 632 can be utilized to producethe downward force and/or movement of the sensors for the testing of theborehole layers.

Referring now to the FIGS. 15-24, a borehole inspection device or system710 is shown that includes a downhole testing head unit or headassembly, unit or arrangement 730 that can be lowered into borehole BHwherein the borehole has one or more sidewalls SW extending between topopening O in ground layer G and a bottom extent BE. Bottom extent BEdefines the borehole bottom. System 710 can further include one or moresurface control and/or display unit(s) 740 that can be in directcommunication with head unit 730, but this is not required, which willbe discussed more below.

Head unit 730 can be any configuration without detracting from theinvention of this application. As is shown, Head unit 730 includes a top731 and an opposite bottom 732. Head unit 730 further includes one ormore side 733 that extend radially outwardly from a head unit axis 734.Head unit 730 further includes an outer layer or shell 735 and one ormore watertight internal regions 736, which will be discussed morebelow. As will be discussed more below, head unit 730 can be positionedwithin the borehole such that head unit axis 734 is plumb wherein system710 can further detect the verticality of the borehole to determinewhether the borehole is plumb within the ground surface along itslength.

In one set of embodiments, head unit 730 is in direct communication withsurface unit(s) 740 by way of one or more wireless communication systems748. This direct connection can be in real time and/or intermittent asis desired and/or required. In these embodiments, wireless communicationsystems 748 is a wireless communication system that includes a firstwireless antenna (internal and/or external) 750 connected to head unit730 and a second wireless antenna (internal and/or external) 752connected to surface control unit 740. These antennas can utilize anytechnology known in the art and are preferably transceivers that bothsend and receive data. Further, the antenna technology can depend on thewhether the Borehole is filled with air or liquid L (such as a slurry).In one set of embodiments, control unit 740 can include an antenna 752 athat is at least partially submerged in liquid L that is within theborehole. Yet further, the wireless technology can also utilize thecentral opening in the Kelly Bar to transmit data in boreholes that arefilled with liquid L to allow for transmission through air instead ofthe borehole liquids. As can be appreciated, transmission throughslurries eliminates many wireless technologies wherein use of theinternal cavity of the Kelly Bar could allow for their use, such as useof optical wireless technologies. Wireless communication system 748allows head unit or assembly 730 to communicate with surface controlunit 740 during a data collection phase and/or a data transmission phasewithout the need for wires thereby further simplifying the setup ofsystem 710 simplifying the operation of the system, but this is notrequired. As can be appreciated, wired communication during datacollection can involve long lengths of communication wires or lines thatmust be managed at the jobsite. Further, wires on the jobsite can bedamaged, which can create downtime. Yet further surface control and/ordisplay unit(s) 740 can be an on-site unit that is located at or nearthe bore hole, at any location onsite, or can be an off-site unitlocated at a remote location wherein the borehole work for one or moreboreholes is done by engineers that are offsite. Yet further, the systemcan further include a separate offsite control and/or display unit(s)741 that works with on site surface control and/or display unit(s) 740or directly with head unit 730. Any system of communication known in theart can be used to communicate to, or from, the off-site location.

Head unit 730 can further include a self contained power supply 756 toprovide electrical power to operate an internal measurement system 758of the head unit, which will be discussed in greater detail below. Powersupply 756 can be any power supply known in the art includingre-chargeable power systems. Yet further, power supply 756 can includethe use of interchangeable and/or rechargeable battery packs that allowfor a longer operational life of the battery system. In thatrechargeable battery systems are generally known, these will not bediscussed in greater detail in the interest of brevity.

Surface units 740 and/or 741 can be any control unit configured tooperate a system and/or collect data including, but not limited to, acomputer system, a laptop, a tablet, a smart phone, a hand held system,a wrist mounted system and/or the like. In that these types of systemsare known in the art, details are not included in this application inthe interest of brevity.

In different embodiments of this application, differing portions ofsystem can be within downhole head unit 730 without detracting from theinvention of this application. The same is true concerning units 740and/or 741. In this respect, some or all of the operating system forsystem 710 could be an integral part of internal measurement system 758of head unit 730 wherein unit 740 could have more of a display, datatransmission and/or data storage function. In other embodiments, surfaceunit 740 is a display and control unit wherein head unit 730 operatesbased on instructions received from surface unit 740. Accordingly, theoperating system could be in either device and/or both devices. In anyarrangement, the overall device could include one or more preprogrammedoperation modes configured to automatically perform one or more desiredtesting routines and/or guide the system within the borehole. This caninclude the one or more operational steps for unit 730 during the datacollection phase. Further, this preprogramed operation could includeguiding the system based on input from one or more of the sensors thatwill be discussed more below. The wireless communication system can beany wireless system known in the art including, but not limited to highfrequency ultrasonic technology. Further, the wireless technology canoperate on different frequencies based on the material that it iscommunicating through. This can include, for example, operation at inthe range of about 0.5 to 2 MHz in wet or slurry conditions and in therange of about 10 to 100 KHz in dry conditions. In one set ofembodiments, operation is at about 1 MHz in wet or slurry conditions andabout 20 to 60 KHz in dry conditions; preferably around 40 KHz. Yetfurther, the wireless communication system can include one or moreliquid sensors 754 to determine whether head unit is in a wet or drycondition, which can be used to automatically or manually switch thesystem to and from wet or dry modes. Liquid sensor 754 can be a part ofinternal measurement system 758. In one set of embodiments, sensor 754could include an ultrasonic sensor and/or use one of the ultrasonicsensors discussed in greater detail below.

Downhole head unit 730 can operate in differing levels of independencewithout detracting from the invention. In this respect, head unit 730can operate independently of units 740 and/or 741 when it is in the datacollection phase of the testing, but operate with units 740 and/or 741when in the data transmission phase. In this application, the datacollection phase is when head unit 730 is within borehole BH and istesting the borehole. The data collection phase can include a loweringphase wherein head unit 730 is being lowered in the borehole fromborehole opening O toward bottom extent BE and/or a raising phasewherein the head unit is being raised in borehole BH from bottom extentBE toward opening O and any subsets thereof. Test data can be taken ineither or both of these phases.

In one set of embodiments, data is obtained based on sensor readingsthat are taken in the lowering phase from a sensor arrangement 759 thatincludes sensors 770, which will be discussed more below. Then, afterhead unit reaches a lower stop point LSP, which can be a set point at orabove bottom extent BE, head unit 730 and/or sensor arrangement 759 canbe rotated about a system axis 734. Once the rotation is completed, datacan be taken during the raising phase without rotation. With referenceto FIGS. 19 and 20, shown are two orientations of the sensor arrangement759 of head 730, which will be discussed more below. In this embodiment,the sensor arrangement includes eight sensors 770 h in 45 degreecircumferential increments that can be in a first orientation (FIG. 19)during the lowering phase, and then rotated by 22.5 degrees after headunit 730 reaches lower stop point LSP. Then, during the raising phase,head unit 730 can take data readings in a second orientation (FIG. 20).This doubles the measured angular resolution of a single vertical scan.For the head units that include four horizontal sensors 770 h (FIGS. 1 &10), the head unit 730 could be rotated 45 degrees. Yet further, thedata collection phase could include multiple lowering and raising phases(“multiple measuring cycles”) with a smaller degree of rotation toproduce a higher degree of angular resolution for the overall test data.

Wireless communication and/or operation relating to the independentoperation of downhole head unit 730 can be, and is defined as, any formof communication that does not require a direct wired connection betweenunits 740 and/or 741 and head unit 730 and/or sensor arrangement 759during the data collection phase. In this respect, system 710 includesmeasurement system 758 that allows the operation of head unit 730 and/orsensor arrangement 759 without a wired connection. This can include, butis not limited to, wireless communication system 748 between downholehead unit 730 and units 740 and/or 741 during the data collection phase,This wireless communication between downhole head unit 30 and units 740and/or 741 during the data collection phase can be limited to datatransmission from downhole head unit 730 only. In another set ofembodiments, wireless operation can include head unit 730 that operatesindependent of units 740 and/or 741 during some or all of the datacollection phase and communicates with units 740 and/or 741 during thedata transmission phase that can be independent of the data collectionphase. In this respect, the data transmission phase of downhole headunit 730 can be limited to after the completion of the data collectionphase and this transmission can be by either wired and/or wirelesstransmission without changing the designation of the system as being a“wireless” communication and/or operating system. This includes wiredand/or wireless transmission from the downhole head 730 unit after head730 is at or near the top of the borehole and/or has been removed fromthe borehole. But, operations of head 730 while in the borehole duringthe data collection phase are without wired communication whereinoperations are “wireless.”

Yet even further, if head unit 730 is a self-contained unit as isdefined by this application, unit 730 can operate at least partiallyindependently wherein head unit 730 could even eliminate the need foronsite computing system and/or merely need onsite computing systems tobe a conduit to one or more offsite systems. For example, head unit 730could be configured to transmit directly to an offsite location system741, such as transmitting directly to a cloud computing location orsystem during the data collection and/or transmission phases based on adirect connection such as by way of a cellular connection between headunit 730 and a cellular service.

However, as can be appreciated, independent operation can take manyforms without detracting from the invention of this application whereinin this application, independent operation means that head unit 730 canperform at least some functions without a wired link to a surfacesystem, such as units 740 and/or 741. There are many degrees ofindependent operation that include, but are not limited to, a) fullindependence wherein all operating systems, commands, data storage andthe like are part of internal measurement system 758 of head unit 730wherein unit 730 is a fully functional system by itself. The datacollected during the data collection phase is thus completelyindependent of surface systems, such as units 740 and/or 741. b) partialindependence wherein head unit 730 includes independent operations butsystem 710 includes one or more of the commands, data storage and thelike at least partially controlled by units 740 and/or 741. This caninclude, but not limited to, use of units 740 and/or 741 to program apreferred mode of operation for the data collection phase of head 730,receiving data during the data collection phase, providing at least someof the operating steps and/or controlling one or more synchronizationclocks. c) substantial dependence wherein head unit 730 is substantiallycontrolled by units 740 and/or 741 during the data collection phase.Again, while examples have been provided, these examples are notexhaustive wherein differing variations of these operation modes arecontemplated with the invention of this application.

Head unit 730 can include a wide range of configuration withoutdetracting from the invention of this application. For discussion only,wherein the following description is not intended to limit the inventionof this application, head unit 730 can include a head plate and/orassembly 760 that includes top portion 731, bottom portion 732 and oneor more sides 733. Head unit can be round as is shown in the drawings,but this is not required. Head unit 730 further includes one or moresensor arrangements 759 for determining the physical characteristics ofthe borehole wall, the physical characteristics of the borehole bottomand/or to help in the operation of the system, which will be discussmore below. These sensor arrangement(s) can have a wide range offunctions and/or uses and can work in combination with other sensors orautonomously.

The sensor arrangements can include liquid sensor 754 noted above thatcan work to help the operation of the device. The sensor arrangementsfurther include one or more scanners or sensors 770 for the measurementof the physical characteristics of the borehole. In this respect,sensors 770 are configured to scan, sense or detect the borehole walls,borehole bottom borehole opening and/or the top extent of liquid L todetermine the locations of these items relative to head unit 730, sensorarrangement 759 and/or plate 760. In the embodiments shown, thesesensors can be oriented as needed to obtain desired data. In thisrespect, sensors 770 h are radially outwardly facing sensors relative tohead axis 734. In that these sensors are measuring radially outwardlyfrom head unit axis 734, the data obtain from these sensors is describedas a radius spacing between axis 734 and a portion of sidewall SW thatis located radially outwardly of the particular sensor 770 h, which willalso be described in greater detail below. Head unit 730 can furtherinclude sensors 770 t and/or 770 b that can be utilized to scan thebottom extent to determine the condition of the surface of bottom extentBE and/or to help determine the location of unit 730 relative to the topand/or bottom of the borehole. Again, this can be used to help make unit730 a self contained system.

Sensors 770 can utilize a wide range of scanning technology withoutdetracting from the invention of this application. The data produced bythe sensors can be used to provide dimensional data on the boreholeincluding, but not limited to, the dimensions of the borehole size asradius, the detection of imperfections in the borehole wall, the shapeof the borehole wall, vertical orientation and/or any other dimensionalcharacteristics of the borehole wall. And, multiple sensors can becircumferentially spaced about axis 734 to prevent the need to rotatehead 30, and/or assembly 760 and/or improve the resolution of the dataobtained. In one set of embodiments, sensors 770 include at least onesonar sender and/or receiver (or transceiver) that can be, or is,directed at the surface to be analyzed. Sensors 770 h are directed at aportion of sidewall SW. This also can include the use of one or moreultrasonic sensors. This can include, for example, operation in therange of about 0.5 to 2 MHz in wet or slurry conditions and in the rangeof about 10 to 100 KHz in dry conditions. In one set of embodiments,operation is at about 1 MHz in wet or slurry conditions and about 20 to60 KHz in dry conditions. No matter what sensor is used, a plurality ofsensors in sensor arrangement 759 can together calculate a generalthree-dimensional shape of the borehole and/or the radius of theborehole along its length between opening O and bottom extent BE, or atleast a portion thereof. Depending on the number of horizontal sensors770 h, this can be done without the need for rotation between thelowering phase and the raising phase between the top extent of themeasurement and lower stop point LSP. At least, it can reduce the numberof the measuring cycles needed for a desired resolution. Yet further,head unit 730 and/or system 710 can use different technologies fordifferent environments. In this respect, sensors 770 can includeultrasonic sensors for wet or slurry conditions and/or ultrasonic, laserand/or optical sensors for dry conditions. In addition, the ultrasonicsensors can be configured for use with both wet and dry conditions. Inthis respect, the ultrasonic sensors can be configured to transmit atdifferent frequencies so that the ultrasonic sensors could be operatedat higher frequencies for liquids or slurries and operated at lowerfrequencies for air. Yet even further, the system can include a sensorarrangement 759 that includes multiple sets of different sensorsconfigurations and/or types wherein one set of sensors can be used fordry conditions and another set of sensors can be used for wetconditions. Moreover, these multiple sets could include a first set thathas one or more ultrasonic sensors configured to operate at higherfrequencies for liquids or slurries and a second set that has one ormore ultrasonic sensors configured to operate at lower frequencies forair.

Sensor 770 of head unit 730 can also include sonar transducers which canscan a portion of sidewall SW of the borehole and/or a portion of bottomBE of the borehole with an ultrasonic signal. Again, multiple sonarsensors can be configured to send in multiple directions to prevent theneed to rotate head 730 and/or sensor arrangement 759 during datacollection as is defined in this application. In this respect, head unit730 extends about head unit axis 734 and head 730 can be positioned inborehole BH such that axis 734 is generally coaxial with a borehole axis776, but this is not required and will likely change as unit 730 islowered into the borehole. In this respect, sensors 770 h face radiallyoutwardly from axis 734 of head unit 730 and measure the spacing betweenthe sensor and sidewall SW. This measurement from multiple sensors 770 hcan then be used to determine the overall radius of the borehole and thelocation of head unit 730 relative to the borehole. This can be used todetermine if the borehole is vertical, if the borehole changesdirection, the radius of the borehole and/or if the borehole has anyimperfections in its side wall SW. As can be appreciated, head 730 canbe positioned in borehole such that head axis 734 is substantiallycoaxial with borehole axis 776. Then, as the head is lowered, sensors770 h can detect if borehole axis 776 remains coaxial with head axis734. If the head is being lowered such that head axis 734 is plumb, thisis an indication that the borehole is not plumb. Again, while sensors770 h could be a single sensor, it is preferred that head unit 730includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced sensors 770 hpositioned about head unit axis 734 that face radially outwardly fromaxis 734. In this configuration, head unit 730 does not have to berotated during the data collection phase, which has been found toincrease accuracies and greatly reduce testing times.

Yet further, sensor arrangement 759 and sensors 770, including sensors770 h of sensor arrangement 759, can include a wide range of operatingmodes and these operating modes can be controlled by internalmeasurement system 758 and/or sensor arrangement 759. In this respect,system 710 can include a sensor arrangement 759 that operates allsensors 770 h simultaneously, which is operation in parallel. In anotherset of embodiments, the sensors, such as sensors 770 h, can operate insets. For example, all of the even sensors 770 h could operate during afirst testing period and all of the odd sensors could operate during asecond testing period. In yet other embodiments, one type of sensorcould operate during a first testing period and other types couldoperate during a second testing period. This includes the operation ofone or special application sensors, such as the depth sensors.

As is shown in FIG. 15, unit 730 includes a sensor arrangement 759having multiple sensors 770. Again, this reduces the need to rotate headunit 730. Sensors 770 includes a first set of sensors (770 h) positionedon the one or more of side edges 766 of head unit 730 circumferentiallyspaced about axis 734 or at least radially extending from axis 734. Inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 15, there are four horizontal sensors 770 hcircumferentially spaced about head axis 734. However, as is shown inFIGS. 19-22, more or less sensor could be used without detracting fromthe invention of this application. As can be appreciated, more sensorscan improve resolution, reduce testing times and/or reduce the number ofmeasuring cycles. By including the use of wireless technology andanti-rotation sensor arrangements to prevent the need to rotate thehead, head unit 730 operation can be simplified significantly, testingtimes can be improved and accuracies can be improved. Further, the headunit can be a self contained head unit that can be quickly set up andlowered into the borehole. In one set of embodiments, head unit 730includes support bracket 720 that can work in connection with mount MAon existing lowering systems being used at the jobsite, such as KellyBar KB and/or lowering cables. Again, while any mounting arrangementcould be used to secure head unit 730 to a lowering device, Kelly BarKB, shown mount 720 utilizes pin 722 to secure head unit 730 to theKelly Bar.

Again, the data collected by sensor arrangement 759 from sensors 770 canbe transmitted to the surface unit 740 by way of the wirelesstechnology. In one set of embodiments, the wireless communication is bycommunication system 748 and antennas 750 and 752 or 752 a. In anotherset of embodiments, data is communicated directly from head unit afterthe data collection phase. In this respect, unit 730 can be selfcontained during at least the data collection phase of the operation.Moreover, internal measurement system 758 of head unit 730 can include amemory 796 and memory 796 can include operating instructions for a headprocesser 798 to control the data collection phase, store the datacollected during the data collection phase and/or communicate the dataduring the data transmission phase. In some embodiments, the memory forthe data memory is independent of the memory for the operatinginstructions. Then, after the data collection phase is concluded, thehead unit can be raised to the top and the data can be downloaded fromhead unit 730 directly after it has surfaced. This extraction of datacan also be by way of wireless communication using antenna 750 and/or itcould include a wired communication arrangement 783. Wired communicationarrangement 783 can include a selectively securable cable 784 havingcable connections 785 wherein cable 784 can be selectively securablebetween a data port 786 in surface unit 740 and/or 741 and a data port788 in head unit 730. In addition, this can be limited to when the headunit is in the data transmission phase, which can be when the head unitis at least partially out of the borehole. As can be appreciated,wireless and/or wired communication between head unit 730 and surfaceunit 740 and/or 741 is much different when the head unit is out of theborehole than communication with head unit 730 when it is in theborehole during the data collection phase. Again, any communicationsystem and/or technology could be used including all of the typicalwireless RF or optical communication links used by industry. RF linksinclude, but are not limited to, BLUETOOTH®, ZigBee®, Wi-Fi, UniversalSerial Bus and RS232 communication standards and/or systems. Opticalcommunication links include, but are not limited to, Li-Fi.

While mounting head unit 730 to the Kelly Bar can allow the head unit tobe rotated, the exact angle of rotation would be needed to accuratelydetermine the portion of the side wall and/or bottom wall being measuredat any given time. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, head unit 730includes sensor arrangement 759 having five sensors 770. These includefour horizontal sensors 770 h and one bottom sensor 770 b. Again, moreor less than five sensors could be used without detracting from theinvention of this application.

Again, sensors 770 in one set of embodiments can be one or moreultrasonic sensors that can be used to detect the spacing or distancebetween the sensor and the side wall. Multiple readings from multiplesensors can then be used to calculate the shape and/or configuration ofany surface within the borehole. In particular, horizontal sensors 770 hcan be used to detect and determine the shape and/or overall radius ofthe sidewall(s) of the borehole. Bottom sensor or sensors 770 b can beused to detect and determine the shape of bottom surfaces BE of theborehole. Alternatively, bottom sensor or sensor 770 b can be used todetect and determine the location of bottom extent BE and/or lower stoppoint LSP.

In another set of embodiments, sensors 770 can include one or more laserand/or optical sensor could be utilized to take the same or similarreadings. These sensors are intended for holes that are not filled witha slurry. In addition, in at least one set of embodiments, the devicecan include sensor arrangement 759 with a combination of sensors whereinthe one or more ultrasonic sensors can be utilized in the scanningwithin a liquid or slurry and the one or more laser, ultrasonic and/oroptical sensors could be utilized in dry conditions. With specialreference to FIG. 17, sensor arrangement 759 can include a first arrayof sensors 770 h and a second array of sensors 771 h. These arrays ofsensors extend about unit axis 734 and/or can be positioned in multiplelayers and/or sensor arrays that can include use of the same sensortechnology and/or different sensor technology. In this respect, anincreasing number of sensors can be used to improve the angularresolution of the device. Different scan technology can be used to allowone head unit 730 to work in different borehole environments. Therefore,at least one set of embodiments includes sensors positioned about mostof the side(s) (at least radially outwardly) of the device to improveresolution. If a sensor is used that includes a narrow sensor range thatare highly directional, a greater number of sensors could be usedwithout interference with adjacent sensors. As noted above, this canimprove angular resolution. In one set of embodiments, this can includeover ten sensors spaced about the side or radially extending from unitaxis 734 of the head device. FIG. 23 shows 16 sensors 770 h. Accordingto another set of embodiments, over twenty sensors could be positionedabout the side or radially extending from unit axis 734 of the device.According to yet another set of embodiments, over thirty sensors couldbe positioned about the side or radially extending from unit axis 734 ofthe head device. Depending on the size of the side sensors, the headunit and/or other factors, more than one layer or sets of sensors couldbe positioned about the axis of the device. These other layers or setscould also utilize a different sensor technology. Again, in one mode ofoperation, the head unit can be lowered into the borehole or excavation(lowering phase) until it reaches lower stop point LSP. Then, head unit730 and/or sensor arrangement 759 can be partially rotated before theraising phase. This can be used to improve the angular resolution of thedevice by changing the rotational position of the device when raised tochange the rotational orientation of the sensors relative to thewall(s). This rotation method can also be used to address gaps in thesensors' data when fewer sensors are used and/or when highly directionalsensors are used.

According to yet another set of embodiments, sensor arrangements 759 canfurther include one or more calibration sensor arrangements 779.Calibration sensors can have a wide range of functions including, butnot limited, depth measurement and/or confirmation, density measurementand/or confirmation, and/or other operational functions. These includeone or more sensors configured to measure the density of the slurryabout head unit 730 as will be discussed more below. In this respect,head unit 730 can include one or more devices, like the scanners and/orsensors described above, that are directed toward other devices at knownlocations, which can be used to determine and account for the changes inslurry densities as the devices is lowered into the borehole. In thisrespect, the fluid or slurry that is used to maintain the borehole untilit is filled with material to be solidified, such as grout, hasdifferent densities at different depths. Further, changes in densitywill affect the wave speed of the sonar sensors of sensor 770 whereinwave speed slows as density increases. Therefore, the accuracy of thesystem can be impacted as the density of the slurry changes. In order toaccount for the changes in slurry density, the invention of thisapplication can further include one or more density sensors 780. Sensor780 can be a single unit device directed toward an object at a knownlocation 781 or a transmitter 780 and a receiver 781 at a known locationwherein units 780 and 781 are spaced from one another by a known spacing782. In that the spacing is known, density sensor 780 can be utilized tocalibrate head 730 and/or system 710 by calculating changes in theslurry density. This calibration information can then be used to adjustsensor readings from sensors 770. Yet further, the density sensor 780could also work with depth sensors, such as pressure sensors 810, whichwill be discussed more below. This can be used to increase accuracies ofthe depth measurement of the system and/or the accuracy of the sensors.

Again, in one set of embodiments, device 780 can be a transmittingdevice and device 781 can be a receiving device wherein known spacing782 is the distance between the transmitter and the receiver. Thedensity measurement can then be made by tracking the time delay, andchanges in time delay, from the received signal sent from thetransmitter to the receiver. This can then be used to adjust sensorreadings from sensors 770 to account for the changing density of theslurry at any depth within the borehole. Further, receiver 781 couldalso be used in combination with one of sensors 770 wherein at least oneof sensors 770 acts as unit 780 and receiver 781 is positioned at knowdistance 782 from the one of sensors 770. Again, the changes intransmission times from receiver 781 can be used to calculate density.Calibration system along with density sensor 780 and receiver 781 can bea part of measurement system 758.

Borehole inspection device 710 can further include one or more depthmeasurement systems 789. As can be appreciated, knowing the depth ofhead 730 and/or sensor arrangement 759 is important to know where thescanned images are located within the borehole. Depth measurementsystems 789 can include one or more internal measuring systems 790, thatcan be part of system 758 of head unit 730. System 790 can include, butis not limited to, accelerometers, gyroscopes, ultrasonic sensors,altimeter(s) 791, and/or pressure sensors 810 to determine the depth ofthe system within the borehole and/or changes in depth. And, thesesystems can be used with other systems to determine current depth forhead 730. Yet further, the depth measurement systems 789 can include arotary encoder 792 fixed relative to a Kelly Bar, a lowering cable, mainline and/or other lowering device, that can measure depth eitherindependently and/or in combination with the other systems within headunit 730. The rotary encoder 792 can include a support 800 and a wheel802 wherein wheel 802 is configured to engage Kelly Bar KB, wire orlowering device. When used in combination, the rotary encoder can besynced with the systems onboard the head unit. In this respect, both thesurface systems, such as surface unit 740 and/or encoder 792, caninclude a timing device or clock 804 and head unit 730 can include atiming device or clock 806. Clocks 804 and 806 can be synchronized sothat sensors 770 can take readings or be pinged against side wall(s) SWbased on a unit of time. If the clocks are synchronized and head unit730 is lowered during the lowering and raised during the raising phasesat a known rate, the depths for each “ping” can be determined based ontime. In addition, the accelerometers, pressure sensors and/oraltimeters can further improve accuracies in depth measurement and/orlowering rate. The use of rotary encoder, accelerometers and/oraltimeters in combination with wireless technology eliminates the needfor wire and/lines connecting the device to surface systems and/oroperator(s) monitoring the borehole inspection. Yet further, encoder 792can include a wireless system 808 that allows communication betweenencoder 792 and head 730 and/or surface unit 740, 741.

According to one set of embodiments, and with special reference to FIG.23, head unit 730 can include one or more pressure sensors 810 tomeasure depth in the borehole alone or in combination with other systemsdescribed above. It is preferred that at least two pressure sensors beused to measure depth. More particularly, head unit 730 can include afirst pressure sensor 810 a and a second pressure sensor 810 b.Moreover, pressure sensor 810 a can be an upper sensor and pressuresensor 810 b can be a lower sensor that are axially spaced relative tohead axis 734 and which are separated by a known spacing 812. Knownspacing 812 can be any known spacing. In one set of embodiments, spacing812 can be approximately 12 inches. In one set of embodiments, spacing812 is in the range of about 6 inches to 36 inches. In another set ofembodiments, spacing 812 is between about 8 inches and 24 inches. In oneembodiment, it is greater than 6 inches. In that spacing 812 is a knownspacing, sensors 810 can confirm vertical movement by the changes inpressure. For example, movement of head by sensor spacing 812 shouldresult in pressure sensor 810 a reading the same pressure after themovement as sensor 810 b read before the movement. This can be used todetermine and/or confirm depth. Depth can be calculated in the same waywherein it can be determined that the head unit has moved by thedistance of spacing 812 once sensor 810 a reads the pressure of sensor810 b before the movement began. As a result, an analysis of thepressures of both sensors can be utilized to track depth and/or toconfirm depth. As with other aspects of the system and/or arrangement,this data can be stored and/or communicated to other parts of the systemin real time and/or during the data transmission phase.

In addition, the one or more accelerometers 820 and/or gyroscopes 822can be utilized to calculate the verticality of the hole being scanned.In greater detail, and with special reference to FIG. 18, when boreholeO is bored, the boring tool can encounter an in ground obstacle IGO thatcan cause deflection of the bore wherein the bore opening can in includea vertical portion VP and a non-vertical portion NVP. The accelerometersand/or gyroscopes can confirm the verticality of head unit head 730and/or sensor arrangement 759 to maintain and/or determine if head unitaxis 734 is plumb to allow head unit to detect the verticality of theborehole opening. Further, the accelerometers and/or gyroscopes can beused with other components in system 710 to lower the head unit into theopening. This information can then be used in combination with sensordata from sensors 770 to allow both hole size determination andverticality determination of opening O to determine when it hastransition from a vertical section to a non-vertical section and/or viceversa.

According to even yet further aspects of the present invention, the useof the rotary encoder, accelerometers and/or altimeters in combinationwith wireless technology improves the system's ability to work in asemi-automated and/or fully automated mode of inspection. Yet further,these modes of operation can allow multiple boreholes to be inspectedsimultaneously with a single surface unit device or system wherein atleast one embodiment includes multiple head units that communicate witha single surface unit and/or off-site unit.

The systems and devices of this application can work together to allowinspection device 710 to be a quickly deployed borehole measuring systemthat can operate in a wide variety of borehole configurations and sizeswithout significant set up. Yet further, the systems of this applicationcan work in combination with other sensing devices without detractingfrom the invention of this application.

The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations willoccur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detaileddescription. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construedas including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they comewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

It is claimed:
 1. A borehole inspection device to measure the conditionof a borehole including measuring a condition of a bottom extent of theborehole, the inspection device comprising a head unit assemblyconfigured to be operably lowered into an associated borehole, at leastone set of test data being collected concerning one or more physicalcharacteristics of the associated bottom extent during a data collectionphase, the head unit assembly having a top side and a generally oppositebottom side, the bottom side facing the associated bottom extent of theassociated borehole, the head unit assembly further including aninternal measurement system and a sensor arrangement, the sensorarrangement including at least one bottom sensor facing downwardly andgenerally parallel to the head axis wherein the at least one bottomsensor collects data relating to one or more conditions of theassociated bottom of the associated borehole, the at least one bottomsensor of the sensor arrangement allowing the head unit assembly to bemoved during at least a portion of the data collection phase and collectthe test data during the at least a portion of the data collectionphase.
 2. The borehole inspection device of claim 1 wherein the at leastone bottom sensor includes a plurality of bottom sensors.
 3. Theborehole inspection device of claim 1 wherein the head unit assemblyincludes a control system that include at least one of an accelerometer,an altimeter, a pressure sensor and a rotary encoder, the control systemmonitoring at least one of a head depth and a head verticality of thehead unit assembly.
 4. The borehole inspection device of claim 1 whereinthe at least one bottom sensor includes at least one of a plurality ofsonar sensors, a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, a plurality of lasersensors, a plurality of optical sensors, a plurality of sonartransducers, a plurality of RF transducers and a plurality of opticaltransducers.
 5. The borehole inspection device of claim 1 wherein thehead unit assembly includes at least one calibration sensor arrangementconfigured to at least one of measure a sensor arrangement depth withinthe associated borehole, confirm the head depth, measure an associatedborehole fluid density of an associated borehole fluid, and measure asensor wave speed of the at least one bottom sensor.
 6. The boreholeinspection device of claim 1 wherein the at least one bottom sensorincludes at least one of a ultrasonic, sonar, radar, laser, RF, andoptical technologies.
 7. The borehole inspection device of claim 6wherein the at least one bottom sensor is an at least one first bottomsensor, the borehole inspection device further including at least onesecond bottom sensor, the at least one second bottom sensor including atleast one downwardly extending force sensor extending downwardlyrelatively to the bottom side and having a distal end extending towardthe associated bottom extent, the at least one downwardly extendingforce sensor configured to measure a reaction force applied to the atleast one sensor as it engages the associated bottom extent of theassociated borehole, the borehole inspection device being configured tobring the at least one downwardly extending force sensor into contactwith the associated bottom extent of the associated borehole, continueddownward movement of the head unit assembly creating the reaction forceon the least one downwardly extending force sensor to determine at leastone of a location of an associated debris layer, a bearing capacity ofthe associated debris layer, the thickness of the associated debrislayer, the location of an associated bearing layer and/or the bearingcapacity of the associated bearing layer.
 8. The borehole inspectiondevice of claim 1 wherein the head unit assembly includes a wirelessoperating system.
 9. The borehole inspection device of claim 8 whereinthe system further includes a surface unit outside of the associatedborehole during the data collection phase and the wireless operatingsystem includes a wireless communication system between the head unitassembly and the surface unit allowing wireless communication betweenthe surface unit and the head unit assembly during the data collectionphase.
 10. The borehole inspection device of claim 8 wherein thewireless operating system includes the head unit assembly with theinternal measurement system being a self-contained operating systemhaving an internal power supply and a data store, the data storeproviding at least one of commands for the operation of the head unitassembly during the data collection phase and data storage for thestorage of the at least one set of test data during the data collectionphase.
 11. The borehole inspection device of claim 10 wherein the systemfurther includes a surface unit outside of the associated borehole andthe wireless operating system further includes a data communicationarrangement to communicate at least one command and the test data duringa data transmission phase that is at least one of before and after thedata collection phase.
 12. The borehole inspection device of claim 1wherein the at least one bottom sensor includes at least one downwardlyextending force sensor extending downwardly relatively to the bottomside and having a distal end extending toward the associated bottomextent, the at least one downwardly extending force sensor configured tomeasure a reaction force applied to the at least one sensor as itengages the associated bottom extent of the associated borehole, theborehole inspection device being configured to bring the at least onedownwardly extending force sensor into contact with the associatedbottom extent of the associated borehole, continued downward movement ofthe head unit assembly creating the reaction force on the least onedownwardly extending force sensor to determine at least one of alocation of an associated debris layer, a bearing capacity of theassociated debris layer, the thickness of the associated debris layer,the location of an associated bearing layer and/or the bearing capacityof the associated bearing layer.
 13. The borehole inspection device ofclaim 12 further including a lowering unit wherein the lowering unitincludes a selectively securing mounting arrangement to secure the headunit assembly to an associated Kelley bar.
 14. The borehole inspectiondevice of claim 12 wherein the at least one downwardly facing forcesensor includes at least one of a strain sensor and a pressure sensor.15. The borehole inspection device of claim 12 wherein each of the atleast one downwardly facing force sensor includes a base end and adownwardly facing distal end, the distal end having a conical endconfiguration.
 16. The borehole inspection device of claim 12 whereinthe at least one second bottom sensor further includes at least onedisplacement sensor, the at least one displacement sensor configured tomove relative to the head unit assembly and measure downwarddisplacement of the device after the at least one displacement sensorengages the associated bottom extent of the associated borehole.
 17. Theborehole inspection device of claim 16 wherein the at least onedisplacement sensor measures a distance between the head unit assemblyand the associated bottom extent.
 18. The borehole inspection device ofclaim 1 wherein that at least one set of test data includes a first setof test data and a second set of test data, the sensor arrangementfurther including a plurality of side sensors facing radially outwardlyof a head axis that is generally parallel to at least a portion of anassociated borehole axis, and the plurality of side sensors operable tocollect a second set of data relating to one or more conditions of anassociated sidewall of the associated borehole, the plurality of sidesensors allowing the head unit assembly to be moved during the datacollection phase and collect the second set of data during at least aportion of the data collection phase.
 19. The borehole inspection deviceof claim 18 wherein the plurality of side sensors includes at least oneof a plurality of sonar sensors, a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, aplurality of laser sensors, a plurality of optical sensors, a pluralityof sonar transducers, a plurality of RF transducers and a plurality ofoptical transducers.
 20. The borehole inspection device of claim 18wherein the borehole inspection device includes a depth system tomeasure a head unit depth within the associated borehole.
 21. Theborehole inspection device of claim 20 wherein the depth system includesa depth sensor operable to measure a movement of an associated loweringdevice that facilitates the lowering of the head unit assembly into theassociated borehole during the data collection phase.
 22. The boreholeinspection device of claim 21 wherein the depth sensor includes at leasttwo pressure sensors, the at least two pressure sensors including afirst pressure sensor and a second pressure sensor, the first pressuresensor being axially spaced above the second pressure sensor relative tothe head axis by a pressure sensor spacing.
 23. The borehole inspectiondevice of claim 21 wherein the depth system further includes at leastone of an accelerometer, an altimeter, and a rotary encoder.